Sunday, September 28, 2008

Kuo Out for the NLDS

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before...

Hong-Chih Kuo is definitely off the NLDS roster, following a difficult warm-up session in San Francisco this weekend which left Kuo feeling numb:

Kuo, the Dodgers' top middle reliever with 96 strikeouts in 80 innings, warmed up in the bullpen to pitch in relief Saturday night at San Francisco but said he couldn't feel his fingers and didn't enter the game. He then threw for about 15 minutes in the indoor cage and still was having problems with numbness -- and his skin became red.

The Dodgers didn't want to take any chances Kuo, who has a long history of injury problems, might have a blood clot. He will undergo more tests in the coming days, then head to instructional league in Arizona to determine whether he might be available if the NL West champions advance to the National League Championship Series.

After the game, athletic trainer Stan Conte took Kuo to the emergency room at a local hospital, where the pitcher underwent a doppler ultrasound to check how his blood was circulating. The test was negative, signaling that his blood was flowing normally.

"I couldn't feel the ball," Kuo said, noting he's not overly concerned and hopes to return soon. "I'll do my best. It's sad, but I've just got to get better. What can I do?"

Well, to answer your question Hong-Chih, I suppose all we can suggest is "Don't move, don't talk out of time; don't think, don't worry--everything's just fine. Just fine." Seriously, feel better soon and we hope to see you in the NLCS.

2 comments:

Delino DeShields, Sr said...

Least he didn't turn out to be a LEMON.

karina said...

This is a sign. Kuo will be pitching on the NLCS.